BOUQUETS OF PAIN
© Farouk Asvat
There are petals blown away
A white rose that withers unknown
A gift of flowers on the parade
Orange bougainvillaea dry and crisp
Red anthuriums wilting in the vase
And flowers I never sent
And yet
It could have been a day full of flowers
When you went back to your seringa mansion
To dream of a bohemian stranger
Who left you a bleeding rose
Full of naughty eyes and laughing tears
©
farouk asvat
composed: 1985 [johannesburg, south africa under #apartheid] ___________________________________________________________________________
[§] Books by Farouk
Asvat:
● Sadness In
The House Of Love (novel)
● The
Gathering Of The Storm (novel)
● I Dream In
Long Sentences (poetry)
● The Wind
Still Sings Sad Songs (poetry)
● A
Celebration Of Flames (poetry)
● The Time
Of Our Lives (poetry)
● This
Masquerade (short stories)
● Bra Frooks
…
(poetry)*
● The
Paanies Are Coming (short stories)*
● In The House Of Love
(novel)*
● Weapons Of
Words
(literary criticism)
¨ all my books are now available on amazon: in paperback & kindle
___________________________________________________________________________
¨ A CELEBRATION OF FLAMES by FAROUK
ASVAT
§ WINNER OF THE VITA AWARD
""A Celebration of Flames" is a
powerful, impassioned call. The sanity and courage of this collection arises
from the poet's unique experiential perceptions of his milieu, making him one
of the few who can write about these traumatic times with such lucidity and
lyricism. The strength of Farouk Asvat's poetry lies in the way he intertwines
the complex elements of social and political conflicts with intense personal
relationships. The wide tonal range extends from sensual and delicate insights
into the nature of passion to the satiric and humorous use of slang."
● Vita Award
citation
"Like hesitating snowflakes his words are fascinating
in their capricious wilfulness - like unexpected strokes of a whip."
● Susanne Baackmann,
University Of Albuquerque, USA
"His love poetry soars with an intense sensitivity,
it celebrates lyrically the joys of a most exquisite sensuousness."
● Marcia Leveson, University Of The Witwatersrand, The
Indicator
""A Celebration of Flames" (is) a
powerful, impassioned call. I admire the
sanity and courage of this. Your
position and perception make you one of the few who can write on this subject
without obscenity."
● Lionel Abrahams, editor
Purple Renoster & Sesame
"The legend of poet extraordinaire Farouk Asvat: -
like vintage wine, proper poetry matures with time, and like vintage art the
voice and wisdom of a poet worth the name is timeless."
● Mphutlane wa Bofelo, kagablog
"you almost catch your breath at some of the stanzas -
you can re-read it several times and be struck by new ideas, metaphors, elegiac
surprises, and the heartfelt poignancy "
● Aggrey Klaaste, editor Sowetan
"Out of an angry silence, a
polished poet is born."
● Anton Harber, editor Weekly Mail
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
BOEKETTEN VAN PIJN
Dutch translation by © Irene Scheltes
Bloemblaadjes zijn weggeblazen
Een witte roos verwelkt anoniem
Een bloemenhulde bij de parade
Oranje bougainvillea knisperend droog
Rode anthuriums slap in de vaas
En bloemen die ik nooit stuurde.
En toch
Had het een dag vol bloemen kunnen zijn
Toen je terugging naar je villa van seringen
Om te dromen van een vreemde bohémien
Die jou een bloedende roos liet
Vol ondeugende ogen en tranen
Dutch translation by kind permission of © Irene Scheltes
___________________________________________________________________________
ΜΠΟΥΚΕΤΑ ΠΟΝΟΥ
Greek translation by © Paulos Ioannou
Υπάρχουν πέταλα
παρασυρμένα
Ένα λευκό
τριαντάφυλλο που μαραίνεται άγνωστο
Ένα δώρο
λουλούδια στην παρέλαση
Πορτοκαλί βουκαμβίλιες ξερές και τραγανές
Πορτοκαλί βουκαμβίλιες ξερές και τραγανές
Κόκκινα ανθούρια
που μαραίνονται στο βάζο
Και λουλούδια
που δεν έστειλα ποτέ
Και ακόμη
Θα μπορούσε να
ήταν μια μέρα γεμάτη λουλούδια
Όταν επέστρεψες
στο πλαστικό αρχοντικό σου
Για να
ονειρευτείς έναν μποέμ άγνωστο
Που σου άφησε ένα
τριαντάφυλλο
Που αιμορραγούσε
Γεμάτο ζωηρά
μάτια και γελαστά δάκρυα
Greek translation by kind permission of © Paulos
Ioannou
___________________________________________________________________________
[] acknowledgements:
Bouquets Of Pain was previously published in:
A Celebration Of Flames (donker, p48, 1987);
The Indicator (caxton, johannesburg, p39, 11.06.1985);
A Celebration of
Flames (heller fund, uc berkeley, california, usa, p40,
1988);
Boeketten
Van Pijn: Dutch
translation by Irene Scheltes (1989);
ΜΠΟΥΚΕΤΑ
ΠΟΝΟΥ : Greek translation by Paulos
Ioannou (2022);
A Celebration Of Flames (piquant publications, p59, 2007);
A Celebration Of Flames (kindle, 2014);
A Celebration Of Flames (amazon paperback, p58, 2014).
© farouk asvat. All rights reserved.
Farouk Asvat asserts
his moral right to be identified as
the author of this work.
No part of this publication may be
reproduced by any means whatsoever, or transmitted in any form or any means
whatsoever, mechanical or electronic, including recording, printing,
photocopying, or via any computerised means or media, including the internet. This publication shall also not be stored in
a retrieval system. And the writing
shall not be sold, lent, hired, resold or circulated in any form or binding or
cover other than that in which it is published,
without
the prior permission of the author in writing.
Permission to
publish or reproduce the writings in any format can be obtained from the
author.
Reproduction of
this work without permission, except for scholarly & nonprofit purposes,
is liable to a
payment of 10,000 yuan (ren men bi) or US$1,500.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL Sadness
In The House Of Love by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: in
paperback @ $20 & kindle @ only $5
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
#love #literature #fiction
#novel #poetry #southafrica #apartheid #books #classics
#faroukasvat #weapons #of
#words #comparative #literature #literary #criticism
#a #celebration #of #flames #bouquets #of #pain
● poems @ https://faroukasvat-poems.blogspot.com
● linkedin @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/farouk-asvat-52a6b642
● wikipedia @ https://en.everybodywiki.com/Farouk_Asvat
● all my books @ https://www.amazon.com/author/faroukasvat
● BE
A REVOLUTIONARY!
"Remember
that the highest rank that the human species can reach is to be a revolutionary."
●
Ernesto (Ché) Guevara
"Always
be a poet, even in prose."
●
Charles Baudelaire
"Read
ten thousand books, and your pen will be guided as if by the gods."
●
Ancient Chinese Proverb
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